Above Water
by SquareWaffles
Summary: "Mira, you'll have to choose between love and family. Would you really side with a surface-dweller instead of protecting Atlantis, your home?" "And what if both are my homes?" Or: a slight AU where Princess Mera has a sister. Movie-verse.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I was so hyped by the Aquaman movie, so I just wanted to type something up for it. I checked FanFiction, and there are so few stories about Aquaman, so here's a fanfic to try to resolve that.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Aquaman nor its characters. I only own my OCs, and any changes to the plot that I have made.**

 **P.S.: This fanfic will be movie-based, so there may be details that are different from the ones in the comics. Other details on characters like Orvax are based on the DC Wikia.**

 **PSA: The chapters may switch POVs among significant characters such as Arthur, Mera, and Orm.**

* * *

They sounded the bells that signified that it was time for us to go into the study. My sister and I hurriedly stopped what we were doing, heading over to the room next to ours. The study was well-lit, contrasting greatly with the rather dark waters that our part of the kingdom is situated in. Numerous bookshelves lined the walls of the room containing books ranging from history to Mathematics. In the center of the room was a large, rectangular table where Queen Atlanna and Prince Orm were currently sitting in.

We curtsied to the Queen and the Prince, who stood up to greet us. Prince Orm came forward and kissed my sister's hands before kissing mine. Mera, my sister, blushed lightly at his actions and I did my best to hide my giggles. She had always been smitten with the Prince, and I could understand. He had nice looks, but he just wasn't my type.

"It's good to see you again, Mera, Mira," Queen Atlanna told us, gracing us with a kind smile. The Queen was always so nice to us. She was like the mother I couldn't remember having.

"It's lovely to see you too, Queen Atlanna," Mera and I chorused.

We then took our seats next to Prince Orm, while Queen Atlanna shuffled through the books before sighing.

"Today will be a rather different learning session. We shall be focusing on the surface-dwellers." Queen Atlanna said, making Prince Orm frown.

"But Mother, why do we need to learn about barbarians?" Prince Orm asked hesitantly.

Queen Atlanna's mouth narrowed into a thin line. "Why do you call them so, darling?"

"Father calls them that. He says we should get rid of them."

Queen Atlanna sighed. "Your Father has perhaps had some untoward experiences with them. However, not all surface-dwellers are terrible. There are kind ones, who would treat even Atlantians with the same level of respect that we give to each other."

"Really? How would you know, my queen?" Mera asked.

Queen Atlanna's eyes grew distant before replying, "From stories. Peace _can_ be achieved with surface-dwellers. We just need to educate them on their wrongdoings, on our history and culture, and in turn, we should do the same. Understanding begets respect. Perhaps, one day, an understanding between our worlds can be reached."

"I would love to see that," I told them, shyly tucking my auburn-colored hair behind my ear when they all looked at me. "I mean, well, it would be nice, too, to not have to hide like this. If they understood us, and we understood them, we could co-exist and maybe they'd stop polluting our waters."

Queen Atlanna smiled at me before nodding. "Precisely. That's a good line of thought, Mira."

I beamed at the praise and the lesson continued. My mind swirled with stories about manmade vessels that could carry you across land and air, about four-legged creatures that roamed grassy lands, and the like.

I'd love to see the surface one day, I thought as our lesson ended. Queen Atlanna informed us that she had to speak with our father, King Nereus, so we were left with Prince Orm in our room.

Our room's walls were colored white, divided into two sides by different color schemes. Mera's side contained more green shades and accents, while mine contained purple shades and accents. The room was neat — Father would have scolded us if it weren't — and fit for princesses, with closets for our gowns, shelves for our books and toys, and the occasional rare item that Father would have collected from another kingdom for us.

Prince Orm sat on the edge of Mera's bed — to my sister's delight — while Mera and I shared mine. He looked a little down today.

"Is there anything wrong, Prince Orm?" I asked him curiously.

"What makes you say that, Princess Mira?"

"I just noticed you seemed rather upset today. Forgive me for my curiosity."

Prince Orm shook his head. "No, it is alright. We are friends, anyways."

He ran a hand through his light-colored locks. "I've been hearing stories lately about a possible brother of mine."

"The Queen is pregnant?" Mera gasped in surprise.

Prince Orm shook his head. "That would have been a better alternative. No, rumors say I have an older brother."

I blinked. An older brother would have been saddening news, indeed, for Prince Orm. He was supposed to be the heir to the throne, but the existence of an _older_ sibling would mean he would be second in line instead.

"The problem," he continued before grimacing, "is that he is a half-breed."

Mera and I inhaled sharply in surprise.

King Orvax detested surface-dwellers, if Prince Orm's reaction to today's lesson was any indication. He would never have even let the thought of procreating with a surface-dweller enter his mind, unless —

"It was the Queen, wasn't it?"

Mera turned to me in shock, but Prince Orm nodded.

"Years before she married my father, it was said that she went off to the surface and remained there before she was brought back here by force." Prince Orm frowned. "I suppose it isn't that farfetched that she would have had another son there."

It must have hurt for him, to find out that another child had had his mother's affections before he did. But Queen Atlanna always seemed so happy here, especially with Prince Orm. Did that mean she left his supposed other son on the surface?

"Still, it is merely conjecture, perhaps an attempt to shame my mother from those envious of her. I will await further updates on this rumour, but otherwise, I will choose to remain neutral on the issue and remain as I always have been."

But behind that statement, Prince Orm was probably hoping that it wasn't true. I wouldn't be surprised. If my mother had had another sibling without me and Mera knowing, I would have been jealous, too, knowing that my mother hadn't loved my father first, or that my mother hadn't loved me and Mera first.

Mera, in a rare show of pushing aside her crush on Prince Orm, gently held his hand. "No matter the outcome, Mira and I are here for you, my prince."

Prince Orm smiled at us and nodded.

* * *

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm so positively overwhelmed by the feedback I've been getting about this fanfic. Thank you so much for the support, guys!**

 **Also, I'm typing this on my phone right now so there _may_ be spelling mistakes (I hope not haha).**

* * *

" **The sea always filled her with longing, though for what she was never sure."**

 _ **Cornelia Funke, Inkheart**_

* * *

 _Past_

Orm would never say it out loud but the for the first few years of his life, he was lonely. His father, King Orvax, though a king, was also Fleet Captain of the Atlantean Naval Fleet. As such, he was always away, and when he was home, his father would either quarrel with his mother or take out any annoyance on him. He still loved his father, because he is, of course, the man who helped bring him into this world. But he can't help but want companionship. Not that he didn't get enough from his mother, who always made sure he had what he needed, but he wanted friends closer to his age.

He was lucky enough that the neighboring kingdom of Xebel had two such princesses that could be his friends. After mentioning his want for a friend to his mother, she had immediately contacted King Nereus, an acquaintance of hers, whose daughters were willing to come over for 'playdates'.

Princesses Mera and Mira were pretty, he noted the moment he first met them. The former had bright red hair while the latter had auburn colored hair, but both of them had shiny blue eyes that were even shinier than his own.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Princesses," he greeted them, kissing the hand of who he assumed (correctly) to be the older of the two before kissing the hand of the younger one.

They had a formal meeting first with his mother and King Nereus present as they sorted out the specifics of the 'playdates' - though in Orm's opinion, it was rather embarrassing to call it as such - such as the length of the 'playdates', what they would probably be doing, who would be supervising them and such.

In the meantime, he observed the two girls in front of him. The one with auburn hair, who had introduced herself as Mira, was clearly the more outgoing one. She gave him a wide smile when she noticed him looking but the one with bright red hair was rather shy around him.

He was a little worried, though. They were, after all, girls. Not that there was anything wrong with girls, of course, - and he was pretty much a momma's boy - though he would never ever admit to that outwardly - but what if their interests differed? He had been taught about war, about politics, strategy and mathematics and such. Could he really discuss them with two princesses? Was it even appropriate?

The adults then left them in the room so that they could talk to each other. Princess Mera was still rather shy but Princess Mera grinned at him and spoke.

"Hi! So what do you think about Xebel? Cos I'm pretty in love with all the weapons we produce alongside Atlantis, and the lasers they're developing are so cool, you know? I kind of want to test them out somewhere, but I don't really want to hurt anything. I should ask Father for a shooting range, huh?"

He blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

Did... did a princess really just say that? He didn't think princesses were... interested in activities that could equate to frontline fighting. He knew his mother was knowledgeable in fighting, especially with a trident, but he didn't think his mother was the type to seem to actively want to shoot things down the way Princess Mira seemed to want to do.

"Mira!" Princess Mera had gasped, lightly hitting her sister's shoulder. Maybe it was because of her informal speech, or maybe Princess Mera, too, was surprised at her sister's hobbies.

Still, he found himself smiling at Princess Mira. Her informal speech was rather refreshing, and she seemed like she really wanted to get to know him by sharing with him her opinion. "Yes, that would sound fun. Perhaps I could bring it up to Mother and Father one day, as well."

Later that day, he would learn that Princess Mera really was just shy around new people, but once she warmed up to him, she turned out to be as open as her sister, though they didn't really share the same hobbies.

He learned that Mera had the special ability to manipulate water.

"I'm still starting out, learning to control it, that is, but I can do this," she shared with a smile, holding out a hand as she made a water droplet form in her hand. It fell apart after two seconds, though. It's from the moisture here. I can only get a droplet for now. And, as you can see, it kind of falls apart pretty quickly."

Orm gave her a smile. "No, that was amazing. I'm sure you'll be able to get the hang of it soon."

She returned his smile with ease.

By the end of the day, he could say that he had gained two new friends, and he didn't mind that they were girls. They had common interests, and the girls were surely interesting, what with Mira's hobby for shooting things and Mera's hydrokinesis.

His days weren't going to be so lonely after that.

* * *

 _Present_

It was a rare day where her father would let her swim out of the kingdom unguarded. Well, as unguarded as she could be, as she knew she had her 'bodyguard', Federico, watching her from afar. Still, it was the most freedom she could get in terms of being out of the kingdom, and she was fine with that.

The researchers had reported that it was going to be a cloudy day today, and that was the perfect time for her to go out. Her goal for the day, after all, was to get a sneak peek of the surface world. She had only ever seen pictures of it, and she had never been allowed to see it for herself. (She understood since surface-dwellers did become quite hysterical and violent when faced with the unknown.) But not today. Today she would allow herself a peek.

To be fair, she deserved this chance. She had excelled in her studies and made sure to stop sneaking in to the labs of the kingdom. She had been good, so surely she could be allowed to see what was on the surface.

The conditions her father had set for her were that: 1) it had to be on a cloudy day, and 2) Federico would take her to the nearest isolated place where no human could see her.

Which led to her location now. She excitedly swam upward after noticing that there were no boats in the waters near her. Her head broke through the surface, nose excitedly inhaling her first intake of surface air. It was a new sensation, and she was happy that she was blessed with the genetic makeup of being able to breathe above and below the water.

She quickly made her way to the shore and lay down on the sand, feeling the moist grains on her fingers. The wind hit her face gently and made the nearby trees rustle. It was so, so peaceful here.

She then stood up and explored the small island that seemed isolated in the vast ocean. There were some trees on the island, their barks rough to the touch. There was also a small, rocky hill on the island that she happily climbed, climbing slow since she was not yet accustomed to the surface of the island and the reduction in the gravity that was weighing down on her, having spent so much time underwater.

After scaling the hill, she sat down at its peak and gazed at the ocean. The water seemed to touch the sky at one point, the view the same no matter where she looked because this was the only island she could see.

She then lay down on the hill, eyes gazing at the white and grayish white clouds that swirled by on top of her. Had Atlantis not fallen, and if they could reach an understanding with surface-dwellers, they wouldn't have to hide anymore. Mera and Orm would be able to experience this peace, too. (Because King Orvax would never let Orm go with her on her current and future excursions to the surface - his hatred for the surface-dwellers was quite known - and Mera just wasn't interested at the moment. It had even taken her a while to convince her father to let her go here, and it had taken months for him to even consider it.)

One day... one day they could have this, too.

* * *

At the same time, there were rumors of a young student who had somehow controlled all the fish in the local Marine Life Zoo, but that young boy and Princess Mera wouldn't meet yet.

Not yet.

It was much too soon.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's a wrap! Is it rather dull? I mean, I only covered Orm's view on the sisters and Mira's desire to see and experience the surface and a tiny, tiny tidbit with Arthur. Still, I hope you guys liked it. If you guys would like to give some prompts, that would be great, as well :3 they would definitely be fun to write.**

 **I'll only be able to cover Mira's childhood and everything pre-Aquaman since I want to type all the Aquaman bits when I have a DVD copy of the movie already for reference. Also debating if I should add the Justice League parts that involve Atlantis.**

 **Regardless, see you soon!**

* * *

 **Replies to Reviews**

 **mercedesandrea** : Thank you so much! I definitely will keep writing, although I can't promise regular updates since I may get writers' block.

 **guest (Dec 17)** : Yes, I did! I was inspired by the movie and the movie is kind of the reason why this fanfic was created. I loved the movie, as well. It was a perfect mix of action, family drama, romance, and comedy. Especially the comedy.

 **ThePrincessofBlackHearts** : Thank you! I'm honored you think this fanfic is great. To be honest, that was another motivation to write this fanfic. After the hype of the movie, I checked out fanfiction to read some Aquaman fanfics, but ended up disappointed to see a lacking of Arthur x Oc ones. I hope this fanfic and its future chapters won't disappoint you!

 **Guest (Dec 25)** : Thank you!

 **oOAngelwithaBrokenHaloOo** : Yes, I definitely will!

* * *

 **Chapter 1 Stats as of 1/3/19**

 _Words_ : 1K +

 _Favs_ : 34

 _Follows_ : 52

 _Reviews_ : 5

 _Last Updated_ : 12/16/18


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much! I've been overwhelmed with the massive support from you guys 3**

 **It's been more than a month since my last update. I'm sorry about that :( I've been really busy with school but now I've had some time to type because Chinese New Year but then I got busy again after that. But enough rambling. Here you go!**

* * *

 **"Don't make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up."**

 ** _Thomas J. Watson_**

* * *

My bare feet padded across the white, marble floor. I made sure to be quiet, glancing left and right before crossing the distance to another hallway. If Father caught me, he would reprimand me. Again. And that didn't count the fact that my sister would also lecture me on my behavior as a princess. Again. But nothing was going to stop me from going here.

After walking past a few locked rooms, I heard the whirring of machines working their magic, and of sparks flying towards the ground. A grin spread on my face as I hurried towards the source of the sounds. In front of me stood a large, gray door that was cool to the touch. I reached out a hand to hold the door's handle before the clearing of someone's throat made me yelp in surprise.

I hurriedly turned around, heart pounding wildly on my chest, and looked around. I tilted my head in confusion when I found no one there. That is, until someone laid a hand on her shoulder and I yelped once more.

"As amusing as your reactions are, Princess, you really should know better after the eleventh time your father or someone else has caught you on this level," someone commented dryly, but I recognized that voice.

Grumbling, I turned around again and laid my eyes on a brown haired boy with striking blue eyes. "Alec."

"Princess," he inclined his head towards me but kept an amused smile on his lips. "Are you prepared for another lecture from the professor? Or from your father?"

I pouted, crossing my arms. "You could at least let me inside before scaring me. At least I could have seen what you guys have been up to."

"And let you accidentally ruin one of our weapons? No thanks, Princess," Alec told me. "It wouldn't be the first time."

I blushed as I scowled at him. The third time I had tried sneaking into the laboratory, Alec himself had caught me inside. When I got surprised at being caught, I had accidentally toppled over one of the potions on a nearby table, and it caused an explosion of ice to occur. Not my smartest decision.

"Besides, if your father heard you'd been here again, you really think he'd still let you go on your little excursions to the surface?"

"How do you know about that?"

"It's not like it's being kept a secret, Princess." Alec shrugged. "Not that I have anything against it since people from the surface _are_ quite interesting."

"Hmph."

"You know what, I'm a nice guy. I'll let this slide if you go back up to your room, Princess, or somewhere far away from this level."

I growled at the smirk on his face. I hated how he acted towards me in a condescending manner. I wasn't _that_ much younger than him, anyways. "Fine, but—"

"You'll find a way to get back in here without me noticing because you're smarter than me," Alec said as if those words were repeated to him several times already. And they were. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Princess."

I sent him once last glare before heading back up the stairs.

* * *

"He's so annoying! I swear. He's such a killjoy, Orm!"

After a few more 'playdates', Mira, Mera, and Orm had gotten close enough that they were willing to forego calling each other by their titles and instead settling for their given names. That, and they've sometimes forgotten all the formal speech when in a room with each other. At the moment, Orm was in Mera and Mira's room. Mera was elsewhere, Mira wasn't sure where, but according to Mira, the moment Mera had heard Orm was coming over, she had blushed so hard and ran from the room.

Mira hadn't seen her since.

"Perhaps he simply fancies you, Mira?"

He knew she knew he was joking, even as he kept an annoying smile on his face. He liked annoying her. It had become a nice pastime of his while he was at the Kingdom of Xebel.

" _Alec_? Fancying _me_? Disgusting!"

He quite liked that scowl on her face.

"Then let me turn the question to _you_ **,** _Prince_ Orm. Perhaps the reason why my sister isn't here right now is because she fancies _you_?"

Or not.

"Touché."

"Prince Orm, Princess Mira, it's time for dinner." Federico announced from outside the room. Federico was Mira's bodyguard, and Orm quite liked the man. He was silent in the 'I-don't-need-many-words-to-prove-to-you-that-I-am-very-capable-and-can-definitely-handle-whatever-you-throw-at-me' kind.

"Coming, Fede!" Mira cheered. She always became rather energetic whenever it was announced that they would be having a meal. He had never met a princess so entranced by food. Most of the princesses he knew were all doing something called 'di-ats' or the like, and they usually seemed to dislike having a lot of food on the table. Mira was the complete opposite. It was just another evidence that she was truly an enigma.

"Come on, Orm! Maybe _Mera_ would be there," she teased him, trying (but failing) to wiggle her eyebrows at him. She dashed out of the room, auburn strands of hair fluttering behind her. He laughed to himself. Yes, he enjoyed having her around. It was a welcome sight and a welcome distraction.

* * *

"Hi, Orm!" Contrary to what Mira had been telling him, Mera wasn't blushing. She was acting normally, the way she really would around him. Mira really shouldn't be messing around with him.

"Mera," he inclined his head towards her as he took his place at their dining table. He had been over to Xebel regularly that King Nereus informed anyone who tried to sit where he was sitting that the chair belonged to Prince Orm of Atlantis.

King Nereus couldn't join them today. He was out at a meeting with rulers from other kingdoms on ways to improve the health and state of their waters. As such, only Mira and Mera were here to entertain him.

"How has life been so far, Orm?" Mera asked him as she filled her plate with food.

"It's been great."

"And… the situation with the rumors?" Mira hesitantly brought up.

Orm hummed. "The rumors have died down a little as there was no proof of my 'sibling''s existence. I suppose the rumors really were just caused by someone who disliked Mother. I can't believe I ever doubted her."

Mera nodded. "Yes, I doubt that Queen Atlanna would ever do that."

"On to happier topics!" Mira announced cheerfully. "Father's agreed to build a shooting range for me! I'm really excited to be able to test the weapons out."

"Has your Father arranged for any combat training or weapons training for you both?" Orm asked her curiously.

"Not formally," Mera replied. "Mira is only getting special treatment as she has been behaving herself lately. However, Father's only getting actual tutors for us once we've turned ten. As for me, I've been practicing with my water manipulation."

"She's been trying to form bubbles, and she's almost there!" Mira grinned. "She's formed a third of it, at least. And that's something for someone not even ten."

"That is indeed quite an achievement," Orm turned his pleased smile towards Mera. _Ah, is that what Mira meant by blushing? Perhaps she is simply flattered by praise._

"But enough talking for me. I'm hungry!" Mira announced before piling her plate high with food.

* * *

Arthur Curry sat on the dock with his father, gazing at the waters. He had been isolated in school. People had found his ability to just connect with aquatic animals, and they had found him to be weird. Strange. Just—

"Unnatural," he sighed out loud, kicking the water lightly with the tip of his toes. He wished he knew his mother. He wished he knew what she would have told him had she been here with him, had she seen what she could do, and what resulted because of it.

Would she have been proud? Would she have found him to be unnatural, too?

He shook his head. What was the point? Mother wasn't here.

At least Father still loved him.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so I honestly know nothing about Arthur's childhood after that aquarium scene in the movie, so I hope that it seemed sensible that people would isolate him because they would find him to be weird, and that he would wonder about his absent mother, who he probably can't remember very clearly. Not sure when his father told him about Atlanna, as well, so I'd have to research on that. Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Replies to Reviews**

 **mercedesandrea** : Thank you so much! I agree. I really want to give some background on Mira and her relations with other characters first.

 **Demona Evernight** : That's true. I'll be sure to consider that.

 **lokidoki9** : That is _so_ true! I noticed the lack of Arthur fanfics, so I figured I'd make one to satisfy my desires and other people's desires for Arthur/OC.

 **Agent O** : Thank you!

 **Uu** : I'll take your opinion into consideration!

 **mino:** Thank you! I'm honestly still debating on that.

 **CJ/OddBall** : Thank you! So do I, but we'll have to wait a bit for that, hihi. As for your suggestion, I'll have to watch the movie first and see if I can incorporate it into a chapter. :)

 **Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967** : Thanks! I will definitely try to write more!

 **removed123:** Thank you so much! As for the Mera-Mira switch-up, I'll be sure to double check but I'm confident I was referring to the girl I had in mind :

 **TaladarkieJJ** : Yes, she will be paired with Arthur. At the moment, I'm trying to come up with ways to get her relationship with Arthur to be natural and to grow and to not be limited to the movie's scenes.

 **trafficcone** : Thank you very much!

 **guest (Feb** **1)** : Here you go!

 **Loki-says-smile** : Thank you!

 **AngelOfAnime97** : Thank you!

* * *

 **Chapter 2 Stats as of 2/12/19**

 _Words:_ 3,028

 _Favs:_ 79

 _Follows:_ 115

 _Reviews:_ 21

 _Last Updated:_ 1/3/19


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the support! It's been a while since my last update ;c Sorry about that. I've had to deal with long tests and projects and then exams and I took my first week of summer as a rest week to just play LoL and watch k-dramas lol**

* * *

 **"** **I was fed up with just being plain Jane"**

 ** _Jayne Meadows_**

* * *

My sister and I had never fought. Not even once. There was never any reason to when the both of us loved each other. It wasn't like we had anyone else either. Father was almost always gone, and Federico acted just like a bodyguard would to me. Even Alec was still mindful of how we interacted with each other in public, so it was just me and Mera.

Still, whenever I saw her practicing her water manipulation with Father, I couldn't help but feel jealous. Water manipulation wasn't exactly something uniquely inherent to the Xebellian Royal Family, but our libraries contained the techniques on how exactly to learn how to do so and how to control such a power. Yet, only Mera seemed to have mastered it, absorbing all the lessons given to her like a sponge. Father praised her for it, and I was happy for her, too, but I was always frustrated.

 _Why can't I master it, too?_

Father, after seeing how well she had progressed, had _actually_ cleared up his schedule just to be able to teach her himself. I knew Mera was happy about it considering how busy he always was. I knew she missed him. But there was no reason for me, no excuse to be able to have Father stay for _me_.

After watching Father demonstrate another technique to Mera, I excused myself to head over to the library. I wanted to improve, to get down even just the basics of water manipulation, so that maybe, _maybe Father would be proud of me, too_.

I browsed through the books in the second level of the library. All the exercises mentioned there were labelled as 'basic', but there was nothing basic about it at all!

"You're actually in the library, Princess?"

I huffed, turning around to glare at Alec. "What?"

"Someone's annoyed today," he commented.

"Was there something you needed?" I asked. I really wasn't in the mood to banter with him right now. It was just so frustrating, not even being able to understand something 'basic'.

"Yes, actually. I went over here to grab some books that could help in designing the weapon Alesandro was going to suggest to the King," he told me, easily grabbing the books three shelves above me. "And what about you?"

"Just…" I sighed, gesturing to the book in my hands and moving it closer to his face, "this."

He glanced through the pages, an 'o' shape forming on his lips. "Basic water manipulation exercises."

"What? Don't start thinking I'm a simpleton just because I can't understand this," I scowled at him.

I expected him to joke about it, but he just looked at me with a blank face, saying, "Princess, maybe it's just not what you're meant to do."

"But Mera can do it!"

"Just because you're twins doesn't mean that you have to be able to do the same things, Princess," Alec told me.

"I don't know what I'm good at," I whispered to myself.

There was no indication that Alec had heard what I said. He just sighed and walked out of the library. I glared at the book in my hand before returning it to where I originally found it. I was about to leave when I found a book on the floor. Curious, I gently picked it up and saw that it was a book about guns. Deciding that I had nothing else to do for the day, I sat down at a nearby chair and placed the book on the table in front of me. I flipped the book open and started reading.

* * *

"Give me the frame end, Alec. We need to attach it to the tubing," Alesandro told the younger boy. Alesandro was one of the main weapons designers in Xebel, and he really did love his job. Designing and inventing were his biggest strengths, and being able to put them to use for a greater purpose just excited him.

"Yes, sir," the boy replied, handing him the parts he needed. Alesandro was honestly surprised when years ago, King Nereus had presented the boy to him years ago and had him train the boy to be his protégée. However, that meant hours and hours of work and of being cooped up inside the laboratories of Xebel. He didn't think it was healthy for the boy to be isolated and to not have exposure to other children his age, so he was thankful when one day, Princess Mira has snuck inside the laboratory. She had never bumped into Alec, however, until the third time. That was a messy day, but Alesandro felt it was worth it when Alec and the youngest princess had gotten to know each other.

"I noticed Princess Mira tried sneaking into this lab again," Alesandro mentioned with amusement. He found it funny that a princess would want to know so much about technology and weapons. Most girls he knew would never bother to figure out the technicalities behind each of the weapons.

"Tch, she really should know better after that time she knocked over one of the samples," Alec replied, but Alesandro knew the boy didn't really sound annoyed as he made out to be.

"Perhaps we should at least give her some tips. Who knows, she may just end up assisting us here one day."

"More like ruining the test units," Alec grumbled. "Besides, she's a princess. I doubt she'd have the time to play around here."

"You never know, Alec. You never know."

* * *

"Mira, there you are! It's almost time for dinner. What were you doing in here?" Mera huffed in front of me, arms crossed and cheeks puffed up.

I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I was reading."

"You were _reading_?" Mera looked really surprised, and I scowled again.

"Do I seriously not look like the type to read?"

"It's not like you actively like reading," Mera reasoned out before shaking her head. "Anyways, hurry up, will you? Father's home for dinner!"

No wonder Mera looked happy.

I sighed before closing the book. It was getting really interesting, too. I didn't think Father was the type to keep books from the human world in the library, but I supposed it helped in designing the weapons.

I looked back up at the shelves, wondering where the book had come from before Mera took my arm and started impatiently dragging me to the dining hall. I shrugged before deciding to just bring the book with me to the dining hall before continuing to read it in my room.

Once we got to the dining hall, Father was indeed there and we quickly took our seats on the table. Food was served, and I was happy to see some seaweed there for dessert.

Father began the casual conversation, asking us about our days. Mera happily reported to him about her progress in the exercise that he had shown her, and his eyes seemed to light up with pride. My smile slowly started to become fixed. I was happy for Mera. I really was. But—

"And what about you, Mira?" Father asked me.

"I was just doing some reading in the library."

Father blinked in surprise and I grumbled again, "I _do_ read, you know?"

Mera giggled from her seat in amusement, but Father directed a smile towards me. "Well, I am happy that you've decided to take your lessons seriously."

Well, guns weren't really part of the lessons from Queen Atlanna, nor from the lesson plans our future tutors would most likely prepare for us, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?

After dinner, Mera begged Father to watch her practice and they headed off to the training room. Once they disappeared around the corner, I walked back to our room in silence, closing the door behind me before settling in my bed and opening the book to the page where I last stopped.

* * *

"…and Pinocchio and Geppetto lived many long and happy years together," his father ended the story with a gentle smile. Arthur loved it whenever his father told him stories. The way his father spoke made him feel like he really was in the story, and it usually helped put him to sleep.

Usually.

"Dad, can you tell me about Mom?"

It was an innocent question, but it made his father look sad. He didn't mean to make him sad, but he really wanted to know about the fair-haired woman in one of the pictures stuck in between his father's books, holding a baby version of him in her arms.

He was about to tell his father that it was okay and that he didn't need to tell him, anyways, but his father started talking, and he started listening as attentively as he could.

"Her name was Atlanna, and she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it for now ; I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to update by early April! Or if I'm especially motivated, then by the end of March, hehe.**

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 **Replies to Reviews**

 **Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967:** Thank you!

 **ThePrincessofBlackHearts:** Thank you, that's so nice to hear! I'm honestly not sure when I plan on Arthur and Mira meeting because I really want to establish her childhood first before letting her meet Arthur hihi

 **ZabuzasGirl:** Thank you!

 **chilled monkey:** Woah, really? That's pretty cool :0 I really should read up on the comics. But thank you!

 **kmhappybunny240:** Thank you! I can't wait for them to meet, too, honestly HAHA. I've actually been debating on that, but as of the moment, I don't want Mira to have any powers. One website told me that those in the Xebellian Royal Family actually do know how to manipulate water so it's not just unique to Mera herself, but I want Mira to have her own strengths and to not have powers like Mera, should I decide to give Mira some powers later on.

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 **Chapter 3 Stats as of 3/15/19**

Words: 4,870

Favs: 88

Follows: 123

Reviews: 26

Last Updated: 2/12/19


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the support! Really sorry I took a while to update :c I was busy last month because I was studying for something, and then we visited relatives and went abroad. And then this month I've had a major writer's block + I haven't been feeling well, but now I'm fine yay.**

* * *

 **"** **Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past**

 **or present are certain to miss the future."**

 ** _John F. Kennedy_**

* * *

 _Two years later_

"—and then you attach this trigger here in this way so that it's more convenient," Alesandro told me as he held a small gun in his hands. He weighed it around before handing it to me. "That's probably enough production for today. If you wish, you may test out the guns with Alec at the shooting range, Princess."

"I'd love to!" I cheerfully exclaimed, getting a box to put all the experimental guns in. I placed all ten guns inside, and I was about to lift the box before Alec came up from behind me and took the box from me effortlessly.

 _Show off._

Almost as if he could read my mind, he snorted. "As if you could carry these on your own, Princess."

"They're light!" I pouted in defense.

"Well, _little_ princess, I'll consider letting you carry them back if you can hit the targets later."

"Oh, I'll _definitely_ hit them. Apologies in advance as I might miss some shots that could find themselves buried in your—"

"Children," Alesandro rolled his eyes at us, effectively cutting off our banter, "I'd like another experiment tomorrow with the same guns when it's darker, but I'll be accompanying you both at that time."

"Okay, Alesandro." I nodded my head before making a shooing motion beside Alec. "Come on, Alec! Let's hurry so I can win the bet."

"Yeah, right," he snorted again but started moving out of the lab.

I waved goodbye to Alesandro before running to catch up to Alec's moderately fast pace. I was really excited to head over to the shooting range. Father had it constructed for my birthday last year, but told me that I was only allowed to use it if I was accompanied by either himself, Queen Atlanna, Alesandro, or Alec. It was a little disappointing at first, but I decided to distract myself instead with learning more and more about weapons.

Once I got the basics of gun-making down, which I read from a book that came from the surface, Alesandro actually let me enter the lab so that I could see the Xebellian way of making guns. I wasn't allowed to make my own guns yet, but the basic parts between a Xebellian gun and a gun from the surface were similar.

For weeks, Alesandro drilled me on the process of creating these guns and also the common mistakes that one could commit when making these. Alec usually stood on the side, quiet but sometimes adding his own input into the discussions.

These lessons in the lab were far more interesting than the ones from my tutors, although I knew that what I was learning from my tutors was also relevant. I had lessons on arithmetic, anatomy, botany, geology, hydrology, history, and logic. Mera had the same lessons, except she had the additional lesson of water manipulation. She usually studied under a tutor who understood very well the concepts of it, but Father tended to make time to test and guide her on the actual application of it.

"What's gotten you so mopey?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to see that we had arrived at the shooting range. Alec was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "It's nothing."

"Right," he said disbelievingly. "Anyways, do you remember how to use these?"

He placed the box in front of me and gestured towards the guns.

I nodded slowly, taking one of the guns. The guns had been numbered from 1 to 10, and the one I got had a 7 scribbled on it. "I press this white button to activate the scope and I pull the trigger to shoot."

Alec nodded at my response. "Correct, and don't forget that Alesandro only added the scope for your guidance. We'll be using that until you can hit the targets perfectly."

I hummed in response and eyed the shooting range. It was a rather simple area. A few inches in front of me was a rocky ledge that served as my 'limiter', in the sense that I could only move until that ledge to shoot the targets. Beside this ledge was a monitor that showed a zoomed in image of the targets.

A few feet away from the ledge was the first target, a wooden but gelatinous-looking circle with four concentric rings alternating between the colors green and white.

I held the gun in my right hand, gazing through the scope before taking my first shot. A red beam of laser came from my gun and headed straight towards the target. I hadn't expected the recoil though, so my hand shook and I stumbled backwards slightly after the shot. I saw Alec glance at me briefly before taking his own shot. A blue beam of laser came from his gun.

We took a look at the monitor and saw that my shot had hit the outermost ring, but Alec's had hit the second innermost ring.

I scowled slightly, sending him a playful glare that he laughed off.

We each took another gun and aimed carefully at another target. This time, the laser from my gun was blue while Alec's was red. According to the monitor, I still hit the outermost ring, but Alec had landed his shot between the two innermost rings.

A third shot.

A fourth.

And then the fifth.

I had hit four out of five targets. My third and fourth shots were still along the outermost ring, with Alec's being in the second outermost ring and the second innermost ring respectively. I had missed my fifth shot, though, because the gun I held had a particularly strong recoil that caused me to miss my shot.

Alec was amused to win the bet and easily carried the box of guns as we made our way back to the lab.

"Why did the targets look like that?" I asked him.

"Like what?" Alec said, adjusting his grip on the box.

"They weren't very 'hard'-looking? That, and I noticed the lasers didn't seem to penetrate through the targets."

"You can thank Alesandro for that. Not sure what kind of material he added, though," Alec ran a hand through his hair. "Basically, the targets could absorb the lasers produced by our guns. In essence."

"Woah, that's pretty cool." It was pretty amazing, after all. "Do you think it would work for clothing?"

Alec shook his head. "Not at this point in time. The targets a while ago were pretty small in size, so it was probably easier for Alesandro to create. He thought of the idea years ago, but he was only able to actualize it now, so I'm assuming it's going to take a while before he can apply the idea to other things."

"That makes sense," I replied, relieved to see that we were nearing the lab. "I'm a little hungry, to be honest."

Alec chuckled. "We still have to fill out observation reports for each of the guns, Princess."

He took one look at me before snorting and adding, "You can have a snack, don't worry. Just come back here immediately after because I'm not writing those reports alone."

"Thank you!" I cheered before dashing up towards the kitchens to get a snack.

* * *

Mera was told to take a short break from her training, so she decided to walk around. Water manipulation training was her last lesson for the day. It was rather draining since she had other lessons prior to it, and controlling water took a lot of her energy. As such, she was thankful for the break and headed immediately to the kitchens.

There, she was surprised to see Mira talking to one of their chefs, probably requesting a snack, as well. Mira's presence brought a sad smile to Mera's face.

Although they shared the same room, they had different schedules when it came to their lessons, and Mera had her additional lesson in water manipulation. Ever since they were given tutors, Mera saw her sister less. Mera knew they needed the formal education, though, but she wished she could have taken her lessons with her sister. Their father had other plans, and he deliberately had their lessons scheduled separately. For what reason, she knew not.

She wasn't stupid enough to not see that she and her sister were slowly drifting apart. She knew there would come a time where they would have to live their own lives, but she wished she had more time with her sister. Oh, she knew that they still did their tutors' assignments together at night, and that they always discussed their lessons (except for her water manipulation, of course) with each other, but Mera still felt like they were beginning to miss something.

Before she could greet her sister, the younger twin was already balancing three plates of snacks on her way back down to, presumably, the lab. Mera assumed the plates were for Alesandro, Alec, and Mira herself.

Mera wondered if it was alright for her to feel a little jealous of Alesandro and Alec, who saw her sister more during a day than she did. She knew her sister was pursuing her own studies in weapons, a topic Mera wasn't particularly invested in, and that Alesandro and Alec were the perfect people to guide her through the topic, but —

"Princess Mira, are you here for a snack, as well?" one of the chefs smiled at her kindly once the chef had noticed her presence.

She smiled at the chef. "Yes, please. I'd like a —"

* * *

Arthur sat by the docks, fists clenched tightly as he glared at the water beneath him. Earlier that day, he and his father had received a visit from one Nuidis Vulko, his mother's advisor. Vulko, as he preferred to be addressed, informed them that Queen Atlanna had asked him to train Arthur in secret. Arthur just wasn't going to accept this blindly, though, demanding to know why his mother couldn't join Vulko's excursions to the surface, too.

And then he was told the reason why. Now he really knew why his mother didn't come back to them. He knew it was to protect them, to protect HIM, but he couldn't help but be annoyed that he couldn't see his mother because of some stupid law about 'half-breeds'.

Reluctantly, he could admit that he understood the need for the secrecy, and that his mother coming to visit would just put both his parents and himself at risk; Vulko, too, as the man had come here to be his tutor.

He eventually sighed and let himself fall backwards, laying down on the wooden dock and gazing at the sky.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm going to rewatch the movie after uploading this chapter both for inspiration and so that I can make sure that the details in this chapter (and in future chapters) will be accurate. :)**

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 **Replies to Reviews**

 **mercedesandrea:** Thank you! That's nice to hear :)

 **Guest (Mar 16):** I'm honestly not sure on when I'd want Arthur and Mira to meet (if it would be during the Justice League or Aquaman movie, that is). Right now, though, I'm leaning more towards the Aquaman movie.

 **guest (Apr 18):** Here's the update! Sorry it took a while.

 **Xenahime92:** Thank you so much! I agree that if Mira would end up having powers, they really should be different from Mera's. Mira wouldn't be unique if she was just the same as Mera. Mera, though, will be paired with (and will eventually _be_ with) Orm.

 **Guest (Apr 27):** Thank you!

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 **Chapter 4 Stats as of 5/26/19**

Words: 6, 659

Favs: 110

Follows: 144

Reviews: 33

Last Updated: 3/15/19


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